Friday, July 15, 2016

DNRS: An Update and some fun NEWS!

Friends,

I come bearing a limbic system retraining update! The retraining program has thus far yielded many victories, big and small;
and it has been punctuated by challenges that have felt like circuitous
detours. I suppose my journey of healing continues to be more like a quest through Middle Earth than a nice linear game of hopscotch. This is to be expected.

Sometimes the effects of DNRS are immediate and feel magical (oh you guys, please trythis program if you have any of the physical challenges on this list), and I'm apt to wonder why it is that some of my challenges persist; it's been THREE WHOLE WEEKS of rigorous training, after all! (Patience, Dear Heart). But I've had physical challenges for many years, so my body will need time to repair itself. I'm also continuing to get treatments which create their own set of unique challenges.

So. Some days the challenges feel like mole hills, and some days they feel like mountains; but nonetheless, I am moving toward healing with greater consistency than I have in a long time, and I continue to remain hopeful that this program will result in long-term healing of my immune, digestive, endocrine, and nervous systems. As I look toward healing, I've been keeping a daily log of every little improvement. Here are some of my favorites from the last two week:

1. My body is tolerating a handful of new vitamins, minerals, herbs, and foods!

2. I've gone on a number of longer walks during which my challenges were small enough that I could focus on the beauty around me.

Fun fact #2: She was three pounds when we got her, but lately she's been eating like there's no tomorrow, and our little pipsqueak is putting on some serious girth units! We thinks she's close to four pounds now.

The day we met our little pipsqueak

Fun fact #3: She does not yet have a name. Some of you have been following our puppy adventures on Instagram and Facebook and are eagerly awaiting her name. Well, I come bearing goodish news: my folks have narrowed the field to two names, and I hope I will very soon be able to unveil her name.

For now, we've accumulated a pool of nicknames, including Girlfren, The Child, Puppy Baby, Pookie Face; Pook, Pookie Baby, Poop Butt or, alternatively, Dingleberry Girl (for my parents' sake, I will clarify that these two are my unique nicknames for Puppy), The Golden Princess, Poop Tube (also mine. Sometimes I feel like we're running a frozen yogurt dispensary, minus the frozen yogurt), and Triangle Face (okay. Also mine). When Puppy Baby eats wet food her fur gets slicked back, making her look like a fox with a triangle face; thus: Triangle Face. Basically, we have enough nicknames to stall the official christening for at least another month, though I imagine we'll have a name by the weekend's end.

Picking a name is tough business, folks. Last week we met a couple out walking their puppy, whom they had named and renamed 4-5 times before settling on Lucy. A name's gotta encapsulate the dog's personality, and it takes time to get to know a dog's personality.

So far, we know that our girl is feisty and independent. She adventures into the unknown corners of the yard without hesitation; prances, uninhibited, through wet grass in summer downpours; pounces and growls when she wants to play — she's especially fond of pouncing on our Nike running shoes, and now that she's finally bigger than they are, she has the upper hand in their dramatic duels; and she's a racing red rocket, shooting through the house at random intervals because life is F-U-N, man.

She has commandeered many a sock in her short life.

Adventure buddy!

She's also sweet and cuddly. She loves to snuggle in our laps, sprawl across our chests, and curl up in the nape of my neck. She naps with us, follows us around when we're doing our housely duties,
and affectionately gnaws on our appendages whenever we're still for
more than a second.

My mom and I had a jolly laugh the first time Girlfren crawled into the nape of my neck

She has a habit of climbing into our laps when we're trying to stretch after a walk

Booooy do we love her, and booooy am I delighted to be here this summer to enjoy her glorious puppy stage.

Ha! Penny was put on the table the day my folks got her, but it didn't make the cut. It is pretty cute, though. Muffin..My mom says, "She looks like a Muffin!" At the very least that will make the nickname pool. Also, it's making me hungry. Tiiime for breakfast!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm Sarah. I’m an English professor and graduate student living in sunny southern California. This blog is where I search for evidence of God’s goodness in the hard stuff, share my victories as I heal from chronic invisible illness, and tell stories about the easy-to-miss moments of grace in my day-to-day. Won't you stay awhile?